Transcriptomics of Gabra4 knockout mice reveals common NMDAR pathways underlying autism, memory, and epilepsy.

ABSTRACT: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuronal developmental disorder with impaired social interaction and communication, often with abnormal intelligence and comorbidity with epilepsy. Disturbances in synaptic transmission, including the GABAergic, glutamatergic, and serotonergic systems, are known to be involved in the pathogenesis of this disorder, yet we do not know if there is a common molecular mechanism. As mutations in the GABAergic receptor subunit gene GABRA4 are reported in patients with ASD, we eliminated the Gabra4 gene in mice and found that the Gabra4 knockout mice showed autistic-like behavior, enhanced spatial memory, and attenuated susceptibility to pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures, a constellation of symptoms resembling human high-functioning autism. To search for potent

SUBMITTER: Fan C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7007694 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature